Scan barcode
zosiablue's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
We all know Vonnegut juxtaposes tragic and absurd because that's exactly what life is and through the first half of this, I thought - ah, we're going only absurd here, OK, I'm in. And then there was an astonishing perspective change that nailed me so hard I started crying! I'm not a crier and it came on so suddenly that I shocked myself. He does this every fucking time to me. What's this book about? A writer on a road trip to speak at an arts festival. What's this book about? The festival of everything (TM).
(Though I know what he's doing, the race stuff doesn't age well at all. That's worth more than a parenthetical for sure, but just a warning.)
(Though I know what he's doing, the race stuff doesn't age well at all. That's worth more than a parenthetical for sure, but just a warning.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexism, Classism, Suicide, and Grief
summermorning's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, and Homophobia
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: War
leoniefnk's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Though there are moments that make you think (I like the idea of an author inserting themselves in a very meta way), overall, I found this vulgar and extremely unfunny. The random scatterbrain-ness of it is something which I've enjoyed in the past, but in books like Hitchhiker's guide, where there is far less offensive language for - what seems to be - the sake of offensive language. Was this supposed to make me think of something new or groundbreaking? What's worse, was this supposed to make me laugh?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Mental illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Death of parent, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Alcohol, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Sexual violence, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Classism
slanderoid's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Domestic abuse, and Transphobia
golelifsu's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Racial slurs, and Violence
ajgillespie3's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
It starts with pointless wandering and ends with a cascade of epiphanies and redemption. Odd but beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
lilbrisket's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicide, Racial slurs, and Racism
bigenk's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Listen:
Vonnegut is a weirdo. He can be self-indulgent and self-involved. He often subverts expectations for no other than reason than to mess with the reader. I wouldn't fault anybody for not enjoying his writing. That being said; I do enjoy his work.
Breakfast of Champions is written in a way that reminds me of how someone would describe the intricacies of humanity to an alien race. Everything is drawn out, explained with the most basic and detached of descriptions. We learn tiny little details of everybody and everything involved in the story. I can't help but be left feeling just how absurd we are as a species. This book gave me a lens through which to view that absurdity, and laugh. Humor has always been one of Vonnegut's strong points as a writer, which is one of the reasons I tend to be drawn to him. Vonnegut is also a deeply political writer, and it shows especially strongly here. He has a lot to criticize about American values, history, and social structure. He is particularly blunt about his views, which I personally enjoy. I enjoyed the deeply flawed and at times contemptible characters. I especially enjoy Kilgore.
I still don't really know what to think about Vonnegut inserting himself into the story in the latter-half.
I think that Breakfast of Champions is a tad long though. I think that it would've lost little being paired down by 50-100 pages. It dragged for me towards the second half of the book. The short, segmented way in which it is written also prevented me from getting any sort of rhythm while reading, which was frustrating.
Overall, I would say that while Breakfast of Champions is not my favorite Vonnegut work, it's definitely and excellent work of satire and metafiction, that I'm glad to have read a few times in my life.
And so on..
Vonnegut is a weirdo. He can be self-indulgent and self-involved. He often subverts expectations for no other than reason than to mess with the reader. I wouldn't fault anybody for not enjoying his writing. That being said; I do enjoy his work.
Breakfast of Champions is written in a way that reminds me of how someone would describe the intricacies of humanity to an alien race. Everything is drawn out, explained with the most basic and detached of descriptions. We learn tiny little details of everybody and everything involved in the story. I can't help but be left feeling just how absurd we are as a species. This book gave me a lens through which to view that absurdity, and laugh. Humor has always been one of Vonnegut's strong points as a writer, which is one of the reasons I tend to be drawn to him. Vonnegut is also a deeply political writer, and it shows especially strongly here. He has a lot to criticize about American values, history, and social structure. He is particularly blunt about his views, which I personally enjoy. I enjoyed the deeply flawed and at times contemptible characters. I especially enjoy Kilgore.
I still don't really know what to think about Vonnegut inserting himself into the story in the latter-half.
I think that Breakfast of Champions is a tad long though. I think that it would've lost little being paired down by 50-100 pages. It dragged for me towards the second half of the book. The short, segmented way in which it is written also prevented me from getting any sort of rhythm while reading, which was frustrating.
Overall, I would say that while Breakfast of Champions is not my favorite Vonnegut work, it's definitely and excellent work of satire and metafiction, that I'm glad to have read a few times in my life.
And so on..
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
Minor: Rape
vipsahtanut's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I don't know what to think of this book. I'd recommend cheking the content warnings before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Rape, and Sexual violence
kat_94's review against another edition
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Sexual violence